Document a Mississippi custom-built or assembled vehicle

Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Establish the vehicle's identity before assembly

A Mississippi project assembled from a kit, donor vehicle, or separately purchased components needs an ownership history that an official can follow. Start with the DOR title requirements and identify the documents supplied with the kit and each titled donor. A manufacturer's certificate for a body package may describe only that package. It should not be treated as proof that you acquired an unrelated chassis, engine, or completed vehicle.

Before buying major components, record the seller, vehicle identification number, title status, and intended use. A file organized by component helps explain why different identifying numbers appear on the assembled vehicle. Keep the original receipts even after photographing them. The DPS inspection instructions say officers review receipts and documents before either salvage or self-assembled inspections, and missing or incorrect papers prevent completion.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Choose the identification procedure that fits the project

Mississippi provides Form 78-017 for an assigned vehicle identification number. The form includes custom-built vehicles and specified problems with an existing VIN plate. Its instructions distinguish missing or stolen identifiers from defaced, altered, removed, or obliterated identifiers, and request different supporting evidence. Describe the actual condition instead of selecting a convenient category that avoids explaining the donor vehicle.

When an existing number has been defaced or removed, the instructions call for the plate and an owner's affidavit explaining the circumstances. When the plate is missing, omitted, or stolen, the affidavit explains that situation, and a recovered original plate must be surrendered. Preserve what remains of the identifier for the agency. Making or attaching a replacement plate yourself would defeat the official identification process.

For a rebuilt vehicle, the form calls for all applicable sections, the outstanding title or titles, and proper bills of sale or other sufficient evidence where no title exists. It identifies the rebuilder and completion date. These entries should agree with the work records and purchase documents, including whether the applicant performed the work or hired someone else.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Let the state complete the assigned-number process

Approval of the assigned-VIN application leads to issuance of a Mississippi identification plate. The form says a departmental representative inspects the vehicle and delivers and attaches that plate. After attachment, the owner takes Form 78-602 to a designated agent and applies for a title. The sequence matters: application approval, identification work, and title submission are separate steps.

Use the regional inspection contacts to arrange the required review. Explain whether you have an assembled vehicle, a rebuilt titled vehicle, or a problem with a missing original number. Ask which supporting documents should accompany the appointment and how the vehicle should be transported. A project that runs under its own power is not automatically ready for lawful travel to the inspection location.

The designated agent information identifies the title-submission system that follows the identification work. A county tax collector is a practical starting point for a private owner's completed packet. Retain the state-issued identification paperwork with the title application copy so the eventual title number can be traced back to the number attached during inspection.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Keep salvage components within the salvage rules

A kit body does not erase a donor's salvage or destruction history. Mississippi's salvage information and vehicle title regulations govern rebuilding and required brands. The regulations prohibit Mississippi titling when a jurisdiction previously issued specified nonrepairable documents, including junk, parts-only, certificate-of-destruction, or non-rebuildable designations. Obtain a classification decision before investing heavily in a donor with one of those documents.

For a rebuildable salvage vehicle, preserve four color photographs of its unrepaired condition before disassembly or repair changes the evidence. The inspection rules call for records identifying used parts and their donor VINs, along with a work order describing the repairs. Receipts should identify the seller rather than merely list an amount paid. A pile of anonymous cash receipts makes legitimate component ownership much harder to demonstrate.

The salvage inspection application is part of that process when applicable. DPS currently lists a $125 salvage inspection charge and a $50 VIN verification charge, each payable by certified check or money order. Have the inspector identify the category for your transaction before obtaining payment. Do not assume every custom build receives both charges or that the assigned-number form itself replaces the inspection fee.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Handle a homemade trailer through its own application

The separate homemade trailer VIN application, Form 78-018, asks for the owner, builder, completion date, and trailer description. Its instructions use “homemade” for make and request a model description such as utility or camper. They also require the completed signed and notarized sections, four photographs showing the trailer's sides, and DPS VIN verification documented on Form MVCT-59.

After the assigned plate is attached, the trailer owner uses Form 78-602 with a designated agent to seek the title. Trailer ownership and road registration still require attention to the category and weight. The DOR FAQ discusses trailer titling and proof of ownership, including special treatment of boat trailers. Tell the county what the trailer carries and its gross vehicle weight rather than calling every unpowered vehicle a generic homemade project.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Resolve missing ownership evidence without disguising it

If a required prior title cannot be obtained, DOR may direct the applicant to the certificate-of-title bond procedure and the ownership affidavit. Those documents address the ownership problem; they do not certify that an assembled vehicle meets every equipment or road-use requirement. Explain which component or vehicle lacks documentation and supply the receipts you do have.

When an existing title contains an error, request the appropriate correction through the county, using the correction affidavit if instructed. A correction should document a true fact, not change an ordinary vehicle into a different identity or conceal the source of a frame. Keep the original identifier visible and give the agency a clear explanation of any discrepancy between the paperwork and the physical project.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Prepare the finished vehicle and final application

DPS says a vehicle presented for the relevant salvage inspection must be completely restored, including paint. Arrange the work so original identifiers and components remain available for examination. The agency may need parts removed, and its instructions address the owner's responsibility for resulting examination work. Review those directions with the builder before closing access panels or scheduling the final appointment.

After the appropriate identity and title requirements are satisfied, complete Mississippi registration for the intended road use and location. Ask the insurer about coverage for the actual completed build, using the Insurance Department's guidance to understand liability and optional physical-damage coverage. An insurer's agreement to quote a custom vehicle does not itself issue a title or plate.

Check the finished title for owner names, VIN, vehicle description, lien information, and any required brand. Keep the parts invoices, build photographs, inspection documents, and state correspondence in a permanent project file. If the vehicle is later sold, that file explains its construction history far more clearly than an advertisement calling it simply “custom” or “restored.” Prepare an inventory tying each major receipt to the installed component, with a separate entry for unused purchases. This makes it possible to distinguish parts actually examined on the finished vehicle from materials bought for an earlier design that was abandoned.

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Mississippi assembled projects and assigned identification numbers: Common questions

Which Mississippi form begins an assigned VIN request for a custom build?
DOR Form 78-017 includes custom-built vehicles and specified missing or damaged VIN situations. The supporting evidence depends on the reason for the request.

May a Mississippi builder attach an invented identification plate?
The assigned-number instructions provide for the departmental representative to inspect the vehicle and attach the state-issued plate after approval.

What follows attachment of Mississippi’s assigned VIN plate?
The owner takes Form 78-602 to a designated agent and applies for the vehicle title, with the required supporting ownership documents.

Does Mississippi use the same VIN form for a homemade trailer?
Homemade trailers have Form 78-018, which includes photographs, notarized owner information, and DPS VIN verification requirements.

Can a kit body remove a Mississippi donor vehicle’s junk history?
Changing bodywork does not remove a prior ownership classification. The title regulations prohibit titling vehicles with specified junk, destruction, non-rebuildable, or parts-only documents.

What should a Mississippi assembled-vehicle parts receipt identify?
The inspection instructions require traceable seller and component information, including the donor VIN for used vehicle parts and the applicable seller identification.

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More Mississippi DMV guides

The other Mississippi DMV guides, 52 of them:

Where this subject meets the courts and the county records: Mississippi property records and Mississippi recorded documents.